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Number theory Difficulty 4.5 AIME Prove it Soviet Union

Problem:
Prove that we can find a number divisible by 2n2^{n} whose decimal representation uses only the digits 11 and 22.

Solution

Solution:
Induction on nn. We claim that we can find NN with nn digits, all 11 or 22, so that NN is divisible by 2n2^{n}.

True for n=1n = 1: take N=2N = 2.

Suppose it is true for nn. If 2n+12^{n + 1} divides NN, then since 2n+12^{n + 1} divides 2×10n2 \times 10^{n}, it also divides NN' obtained from NN by placing a 22 in front of it.

If 2n+12^{n + 1} does not divide NN, then N=2n×oddN = 2^{n} \times \text{odd} and 10n=2n×odd10^{n} = 2^{n} \times \text{odd}, so N+10nN + 10^{n} (in other words, the n+1n + 1 digit number obtained by placing a 11 in front of NN) is divisible by 2n+12^{n + 1}.

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Source: MathNet, licensed CC-BY-4.0. Statement reproduced verbatim; metadata (topic, difficulty) added by this project.